Devlog #3: The Near Future
Hey friends!
Don here! Wow… time sure has passed. In fact, a whole five months has blazed by since Mike and I announced the game back in May. The response has been overwhelming and we’ve loved showing you all the little things we’re putting into the game. Our devlog has not been the moooooost active but since these take a lot of time to write, we’ve decided to treat them more as a few months round up of all the improvements and snazzy additions we’ve added to Swordcery. We’ll also let you know what our master plan is for the next few months in these updates and sprinkle in some cool info on tech/shaders/etc. along the way!
If you happen to want more frequent updates and little gifs of Swordcery please follow us on:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TempleDoorGames
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swordcery
Or get up close and personal with us on Discord: discord.gg/YNMYDr7
Now, prepare for updates! (And no you won’t need to restart your computer after this. I promise.)
Mike went chasing waterfalls and actually caught one:
In our last devlog, we talked about a nifty waterfall shader that Mike created. This is just one of the visual updates we’ve made, and we’re currently working on more. We even spelled out how we did it, so feel free to give it a try yourself!
Buffing the animations:
It’s no secret that Mike and I’s powers are firmly rooted in the world of animation, so we’ve been going strong, putting in work on new anims.
Our Titan sword class was actually missing some navigation anims and return to idles when we first announced, so Mike patched those up. He also added some finesse and speed to some of the attacks that we originally felt were too slow. Colt now has a complete set of animations for the Titan Sword Class that feel deliberate and powerful but not sluggish.
More class and slash:
We’ve added two whole new sword classes into the mix—the Katana class and the Dual swords class. This, of course, included making two entirely new animation sets.
We really wanted the Katana class to have some flair, so I animated these with the samurai spirit in mind. I wanted his run to be the ninja style, more leant forward run; his idle to be a classic samurai pose; and most importantly of all, I wanted the attacks and return to idle animations to embody BUSHIDO.
For the Dual swords class, Mike drew a lot of inspiration from the scene in Game of Thrones where the Sword of the Morning fights off like four dudes at the same time (just look at that freakin’ dude go). The first blades in this family are aptly named the Songblades and allow you to wield the power of ice and fire as you rip apart your foes!
You may have noticed a few other new swords in the past couple of clips.
Mike has forged a new Titan sword called Chivalry—it’s manly, it’s sparkly, and it’s quite the gentleman! Its swordcery power is yet to be revealed, but it might open a few doors into some interesting possibilities!
The first entry into the Katana sword class, shown above, is one I’ve recently created. It’s named Skybreaker, and let’s just say that it’s swordcery will be quite electrifying!
With the new sword classes emerging, Mike and I have also fleshed out more of what each individual class has to offer. We wanted them to all be vastly different and offer interesting mechanics to cater to different playstyles.
In addition to each blade’s swordcery power, each sword class will have its own light attack combo and a unique heavy attack option (these range from a heavy attack combo to a completely unique mechanic only available to that sword class). We were going to reveal the sword classes as we progressed through development but ehhhhhhhhhh… you guys deserve to know what we have planned for this so you can get more of a feel for the game!
Just remember… alot of these haven’t been created yet and are definitely subject to change.
You’ve got new mail:
Outside of the realm of the actual game, Mike and I have also been crafting email newsletters. I’ve written more words than I ever thought needed to be written, and Mike has created some dope art to go along with my smorgasbord of game related lore, info, and puns!
If you subscribe to our newsletter, you’ll get the one-of-a-kind Shardling mobile wallpaper I created and see some of Mike’s dope paintings and sketches (also very suited to be mobile wallpapers, just sayin). You’ll also learn a bit about new swords and the lore of the knights who once wielded them. On top of that, you’ll meet our Shardling explorer extraordinaire, Rokson, who will slowly reveal the secrets of our world to you via his journal and sketches.
We wanted to connect with you guys on a more personal level and most importantly, make it a fun way of revealing game related info.
If you’re interested please drop us your email here: https://swordcerygame.com/#subscribe
If you’re already subscribed and you’re still reading this, I want you to know that I would personally shake your hand at least twice, firmly. I’d even throw in a hug!
New Fe – Fi – Foes:
Most recently, Mike and I have both been working on new enemy types for the forest area. We know you’re all probably sick of seeing Shardling, Wizardling, and Phantos—so it’s time to expand our cast!
Introducing… the Oono-Oho. Hailing from the Forest of Giants, this singular eyed chonker wants to stab you with his sword strapped to a spear! He’s not the brightest crayon in the tool shed, but he’s most certainly one of the boldest. Look forward to some anims of this guy in the near future.
Mike has been working on a new denizen of the Forest of Giants as well, but it’s still under wraps. We’ll reveal him soon, so keep your eyes peeled.
Gaze into the future:
So what’s next for us besides these new enemies? Well, lemme tell ya: alot.
Mike and I are hard at work on the demo for Swordcery. The demo itself will contain the Forest of Giants (and perhaps a bit of the Tombs of the Forgotten area). If everything goes according to plan, we aim to release this sucker early next year.
Our checklist for the demo includes:
– 1 or 2 new enemies, in addition to the 2 we are currently working on
– MORE SWORDS
– 1 or 2 more sword classes
– Our first boss
– Finished and polished environment art of the forest
– Integrated temp sound design
– User interface reveal
– Refined flow and feel of combat
It’s a damn scary list! We hope to get you playing this game as soon as possible, but we also want to put out a demo that’s super fun. Please bear with us while we move full steam ahead to make the best demo possible!
As always, Mike and I appreciate all of the support and enthusiasm you show for Swordcery! And if you’ve made it this far, thanks for spending the time to read my dumb words!
Hakuna Katana,
Don